"Okay, so we're agreed?"
My brother and father nod.
"Agreed."
"Good," I say as my eyes wander to a clock, "crap! I have to get back to the room before anybody else wakes up and notices I'm gone."
They just nod and I run off.
I peek at the scoreboard from behind my fan, eager yet afraid to check who was still in.
What I see floors me.
Cole is gone.
The other Kabuki dance around, fanning Chen and entertaining him.
Clouse enters and whispers something to Chen.
"What?!"
I don't know what it is, but it could be something I did. I gulp back, forcing myself to continue twirling and giggling like a little girl.
"We have a traitor in our midst," Chen growls.
This makes my stomach tie up in knots. He knows. They know.
Our plan is busted.
Chen throws down the book that Clouse had handed him.
"Search them!"
I look at my companions. Anya looks ready to have a heart attack.
What has her so worried?
She turns and tries to run, but Clouse catches her by the wrist, "you. Check her!"
She yanks away and runs off.
My heart is pounding, but I am glad that it's not me, it's not me, it's not me.
They don't know yet.
But... I sigh.
If they're cracking down on us, I need to put my plan into action...
Soon.
The first part of the plan was heading down to 'The Factory' as it was called and rescuing Cole first.
That one seemed easy enough. I just had to break him out of the chains binding him to the wall in the cell that night and lead him into the tunnel of vents.
I had a map of this labyrinth, which was useful, but I still couldn't help the lost, confused feeling.
Among the scary things that have happened to me, this might be the scariest.
But I was willing to risk it all if it meant redeeming myself.